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Topic: In the moon light (Read 68587 times)

Raven appeared out of the darkness "Well i don't know about information but i would say i have found some stuff" She gave a harsh laugh as she tossed the fully laden bag on the floor in the middle. Raven looked around and then spotted the unconcious man on the floor brought by Jud and Nai. Raven smiled nastily "ohhh how fun" she cried gliding over to the man "Hm well this must be the rat who owned that pile of crap inn that we burnt down" Raven smiled and looked over to rose Raven made a playful little bow and allowed for her to pass by "We all no that you know what to ask" She said quietly to rose "Just let me hit him a few times afterwards just for fun" Raven smiled "joke"

She smiled brightly at Raven already liking her more and more. She already made a note in her mind to count her as a friend at any time. She could not help herself but bow back to Raven as she then walked over to the man herself. Humming lightly as her form seamed to slink to the floor into a black cobra. On she slithered in her snake form in till she was on top of the man. She still had her own thoughts in her mind but she wanted put some real terror in this man. As soon as she made herself known to him by flaring out herself as if ready to strike. The man awakened with a jolt but did not move. On she moved her fangs just about touching his skin every so often as she herd his screams sounding off into the forest. Black snake skin smooth but cold shimmered into the setting sun only adding to the grace of her snake form. Then she slithers off of him and there she was back into her human form with a smile placed upon her face. Slowly she stood as she rolled her hips to the side. â€œ Soâ€¦what where the guards after other than us...and who are they working with.â€ This would put some thoughts in the manâ€™s head. Not only that she kipped a close eyes on his hands incase he had the poison as well. There was no way this guys was going to get away with out telling her all he knew.

Logged

A step behind time. A step behind reason. Only in her mind. For she was before time and before reason. Counting a head. The only way she stays alive.

"Maybe we should search this one to make sure he can't kill himself." Andimia smirked as she strapped one of the leather side-sheathes over her shoulder, under her tunic. She slowly pulled one of the three new knives that it held testing the blade; it cut her finger with very little pressure. "I think we'd all appreciate if his life is taken when we want it to." She stuck her bleeding finger in her mouth.

She tied the young man's ankles to the feet of the chair and then bound his hands together behind his back and secured them to the chair as well. She slapped him a few times, not quite so gently, to rouse him. As he awoke Andimia circled his chair like a hungry wolf as she toyed with a knife. The welt on the back of his head was growing purple as was a matching one on her elbow but she ignored it. "Just tell me the truth, Gyvan, and I won't have to hurt the rest of your family." His head lolled from side to side as his eyes fluttered open. He blinked as he tried to focus on the source of the voice. The man's head cleared as he looked upon the woman. He then heard a rustling off to his left, He turned to see his Fiencee' bound and gagged on the floor. She was on her stomach, her hands bound to her feet behind her back. The woman struggled some more and fell onto her side, Her fear showed clearly in her eyes as she silently pleaded to him for help. "Now, kind sir," she said in mock formality as she pulled a tool roll out from her pack and set it upon the ground next to the woman. "I only need a few truthfull answers from you, then you two may live happily ever after." She slowly began unrolling the battered leather tool roll. Various hooks, needles and blades, some well cared for, others rusty with dried blood clinging to them. A few vials lay in pockets at the end of the roll, along with a pair of pliers. She resumed fidgiting with the dagger. "Now, I don't have to use these unless you make me," she gestured at the tools with her dagger. "Where has your father run to, and who has he told?" Andi placed her boot upon the woman's side and rolled the woman back onto her stomach and pointed her dagger towards the woman's kidney hoping to end this interrogation quickly as she hated these things. "I-I-I... I don't know." The man trembled, Andimia rolled her eyes. "I would think for her sake you'd want to take this a bit more seriously." Andimia plunged the dagger into the woman's back."NO! PLEASE STOP!" The man cried out as his love screamed in agony through her gag. They both went pale, and Andimia let the dagger sit in the woman's side and walked over to the tool roll and picked out a long curved hook as sharp as any dagger. She walked back over to the screaming woman, blood slowly seeping from her wound. "If you tell me now I can leave the dagger in, and a doctor can take it out properly and she can live. or..." Andimia grabbed the woman's hand and slowly started sliding the hook under the skin on the back of her hand. The woman struggled as more muffled screams came from her. "....we can continue." Andimia hooked under a tendon and placed her boot against the woman's arm to brace for a hard pull. The razor edges of the hook will cut with some force Andimia guessed. "Please don't!" he cried out. "Are you going to tell me?" she looked at the man. The woman beneath her was shaking from shock. "I-I don't know where he went." Tears rolled down his face and Andimia pulled hard, straining against the handle untill the tendon gave way with a snap. Andi caught her balance as she stood upright and wiped the blood from her face. The woman below her was thrashing and the man was sobbing. Andi grabbed the dagger in the woman's side and she froze. Andimia slowly twisted the dagger and pulled the gag from her mouth so the woman could scream fully. The man cried. "Stop! Please! I'll tell you what you want to know." The half elf left the dagger in it's new sheath and walked over to the man and looked him in the eyes, blood smeared on her face and covering her hands. She stared into his eyes and said not a word. "He-He w-went north. T-to Turgentd, he's fleeing to the forest once he gets supplies there." Andimia stared, and she saw what she was looking for. The shame flashed through Gyvan's eyes. Andimia walked back by the woman and picked up the hook from where she had discarded it on the floor. The woman tried to speak. Andimia leaned down."You have something to say now?" Andi half mocked"I-I," The woman was gasping to catch her breath. "I'm pregnant you b****... an-and some-day... I-I will do th-th-this to you." Andimia went cold. She squeezed her eyes shut to block out her own memories, or maybe it was tears. The half-elf quickly grabbed her things and went out the bedchamber door, leaving the two there. Closing the door behind her with a loud thud Andimia braced herself against the wall. It wasn't the threat that had gotten to her. She felt like a monster, and she knew what it was like to be in her victim's position for the first time ever. Everything spun around her as she rubbed the scars on her arm. remembering it all, remembering the pain and the fear. She pushed herself off the wall and sulked around the corner where a towering guard stood."c'mon, I have to tie you up." She wiped her hand off on her pants and pulled out a bag of gold coins, handing it to the man. "you'll get the rest later." The guard captain followed her to the dining room grinning at the bag in his hands. Andimia tied him tightly to the heavy dinner chair, gave him a couple of punches for realism, tipped over and broke a few things and left.

She smiled singing softly only herself knowing how her voce could form the snakes from the dead wood parts upon the ground. Only she and her father knew how to do such things. Maybe even other parts of his side of the family but then again she never knew any other family other than herself and her sisters. What if she did have other family? What did it matter she had as much as she could take on her hands right then anyway. On she waved her song as the snakes came to her. There head nodding to the tempo of her voce as she still singing sweetly to them. Tell them what she wished of them and still they moved to the sound of her voce. Their bodies rolling around the mans wrists and legs as they wrapped around the trees roots. Then softly her voce seamed to fade away. So softly in fact that a few of the snakes started to form into the wood again only it seamed like as if they where more alive. Then again what could be more alive then snakes. It was the wood that seamed renewed as if they where no long just dead peaces of wood upon the ground floor. Then she smiled as her voce stopped its tempo and sound. â€œThat will hold him...trust me on thisâ€¦â€ The man seamed to have fainted and all she could to was shack her head. â€œ We will wake him in a bit till then tell me what do you guys have on supplyâ€™s?â€

Logged

A step behind time. A step behind reason. Only in her mind. For she was before time and before reason. Counting a head. The only way she stays alive.

Raven smiled down at the snakes winding there way over the mans legs and wrists binding him tightly to the spot. "Well let me think i have brought for us all seven mithrel shirts as promised a few swords three quivers of arrows and three bows, and well plenty of daggers and oh a few healing herbs." Raven smiled as she counted the things of with her fingers "Oh i also brought some like little things not quite sure what they do" Raven dug into the bag and pulled out what looked like a pair of pliers with hooks on the end and spikes at the top, a long tube accompined by a few darts and what looked like a pair of gloves but with metal spikes protruding from the end of each finger. "I thought they looked quite menacing so i decided to get some! I do believe that those darts are only paralizing darts which I was a bit bummed about but oh well" Raven smiled again and twirled the spiked glove in her hand.

"Thanks, musta cost you a couple of pounds of flesh. Who'd you take them outta? All I need's a shirt, oh and a drink if anyone has any." Jud goes and sits down against a tree, "Well, me an' Nai wouldn't mind if you left enough of him so's that we can talk to him about his choices in booze. I've tasted better whores during the middle of Marti Gras."

"Let's just hurry up and get everything we can outta him though, I don't like people threatening me with crossbows."

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For the love of meat, shut up! No one wants to hear your emo character background! My hands are literally melting away, and I'm complaining less than you!—K'seliss, Goblins

"Ooo... that's a nifty toy." Nai picked up the pliers and started playing with them aimlessly. "As for the armor... I probably should have said, but I don't wear the stuff. Slows me down and tangles me up. But this... " She picked up a sword and swung it experimentally. "This is nice. Thankies." She suddenly smiled happily. "And if you've got it, I'll take a drink as well."

Arminas sat and wathced as things unfolded, his bowstave against the tree, and his back against it as well. Perfect... how loud they all were... except for Rose, they just crashed about the forest, it was a wonder the bastards hadn't found them by now... not that the forest would let them, oh no...

"I don't need anything, myself. I have all the weapons I need."

Still had plenty of arrows, and his sword - a short one, but sharp as anything these people would have, and near enough to unbreakable. He rarely used it though, the bow was the weapon of the hunter, and that was what he did... as Rose finished her magic, he raised an eyebrow. Was a good thing she hadnt changed one of the trees, he would have to warn her abot that. Once something became concious it resented having itself changed... the dead wood, on the other hand, that was fine. Just after that, Keirra seemed to appear out of nowhere, and walked up beside him, emerald eyes glittering. Arminas put a hand on her shoulder and smiled just a little.

Kor and the pack take over for a while?

The beast nodded, and lay down next to him, but still it watched the others mistrustingly.

Logged

"Now I did a job, and got nothin' but trouble since I did it, not to mention more than a few unkind words as regard to my character, so let me make this abundantly clear: I do the job, and then I get paid."

"... but if your hand touches metal, I swear by my pretty floral bonnet I will end you"

Raven watched as the large beast came trudging into the clearing and led down next to Arminas. Raven cocked her head to the side a little and let her eye's run down the beasts slender body. taking note of the soft fur covering from head to foot. Raven walked towards Arminas but stayed a safe distance away just incase the beast didn't like her "She's beutifull" The words rolled out of ravens mouth as she watched the beast "She seems just like you in a way" Raven smiled again and turned to face the others.

Andimia watched Nai with the pliers, it sent a shiver down her spine. She rubbed at her side where a large scar was hidden under her shirt. The bottom of it a neat "V" shape and the rest of it jagged as it reached up to her ribs. She turned away and went to sit, her back against a tree as she pulled the novel out again and continued reading where the leaf had marked her spot.

(OOC: Nai has nothing to say, and I'm out of town until Tuesday night. Nai will happily agree with whatever you decide to do. Please refrain from wounding her until I return, because I want to write how that goes. Other than that, go for it.)

"You cold Andi? I say you shiver back there. Don't want you dying of a cold before they get the chance to swing a couple a' swords at your face." Taking out his sword and knives he startes sharpening them, "That'd be bad, more swords swingin' at the rest of us."

"Come on, let's get the crap outta this guy as fast as we can. I got nothin' better to do, but sittin' 'round in this forest isn't high on my list of happy things. What with sticks turnin' into snakes, and that weird cat walking outta the woods, and you mages aren't exactly high on my happy list either. Give me the willies."

OOC: Gotcha' Ria. Try not to kill Nai while you're gone.

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For the love of meat, shut up! No one wants to hear your emo character background! My hands are literally melting away, and I'm complaining less than you!—K'seliss, Goblins

Raven paced backwards and forwards as she waited for the man to wake up from his afternoon nap as it would be said. She picked up a sword and tested the blade to see if it was sharp. she ran the blade along one of her fingers blood bubbled to the surface and trickled down the length of her finger. Raven put the sword down again and wiped her finger in her cloak to clear away the blood. She moved silently about the clearing looking at the many tree's and hidding places for when the guards found them. Raven picked up one of the bow and tested the string to see if it was flexible enough it was. The string pinged back as she pulled it and released the twang echoed through the clearing clearly. Raven put the Bow on her back and picked up a quiver of arrows and slung them on her back to. She bent down and picked one of the mithrel shirts off of the floor and slipped it on it was as light as a feather and she could moved quickly if needed in it. Raven sat down against a tree and closed her eye's the faster this was over the faster her buisness would go up and she could get back to work.

((Ooc: sorry guys I am very very very sick so our threads will just have to be put on hold or two weeks. I hope you understand and will not mind I just don't want to hafe ass anything. Please don't drop outof the thread after two weeks. I just can have anything morein my life fall apart right now. I'll tty guys about it later. Don't give up on me and some one please tell every one in Slumber and tell Cheka Man as well.))

Logged

A step behind time. A step behind reason. Only in her mind. For she was before time and before reason. Counting a head. The only way she stays alive.

"Now I did a job, and got nothin' but trouble since I did it, not to mention more than a few unkind words as regard to my character, so let me make this abundantly clear: I do the job, and then I get paid."

"... but if your hand touches metal, I swear by my pretty floral bonnet I will end you"

“I give you the willies?” she smiled softly as she locked her ocean blue eyes upon the man with a light smile. That was the first time she ever heard some one admit they where scared of her. She rolled her snake like hips to the side as she wonders what he thought about her turning into a snake just a moment ago. Brushing strands of jet-black hair away from her face as she carefully placed her boot upon the mans neck. Lightly applying parser upon the mans neck his eyes opened wide as she smiled. “ Hello sleepy head.” Her ocean blue eyes where sharp as they where cold. Her dagger flowing onto her finger tips as she smiled. “Talk.” She said simply. There was no need for words. As the wind brush softly upon her skin as she breathed in the sent of the mans sweat already growing in the min. “I…I don’t” she already cut him short by letting her dagger fly from her finger tips. Cutting deeply into the barkeeper’s ear as the flesh tore his screams where smothered by her boot. The blood dripped onto the grass as she smiled reaching for her dagger and twisting it. His screams still muffled by her boot but the pain could be seen on his face was his color faded.

Slipping her boot down his neck as she shacks her head” Don’t waste my time for if you know nothing than I might as well kill you right now. Or take my time in killing you.” She then pulled her dagger from his ear wiping his blood onto his face. “The guards they told me to make sure that you got the map that would not lead you here and not to you next hit.” On the dagger started to flow onto her finger tips. How did they know who was her next hit? “Keep talking Barkeep and you just might live to change you bar around.” Her voce was steady as she was unmoving. “An an that man other there he has a book that I was supposed to steal. Then there is that girl’s sister I was supposed to spread word she was here but I just had most of the barkeeps from other towns. That’s all really!” She shacks her head as she taps her dagger upon the mans chin. “Really.” Again she let the dagger fly. Only this time it landed in the middle of his hand. “Oh dear… do you know what kind of damage this dagger could do if it was pulled out the wrong way? Or what about if it was twisted? You see if I twist it” as she placed her hand upon it applying her body weight into it “just a little it would make it so then you could never use this hand again and every time you did you would be for ever in pain. Or better to have no feeling even if it was burning.” Again the barkeeper scream and her boot was replaced upon his lips as she leaned over him. As soon as he was dun screaming she took off her boot again. “I’m waiting…”

Arminas and Kierra sat in silence for the most part as everything happened around them. The beast purred slightly and looked over at Raven, her eyes glittering. Arminas laughed a little bit, stroking her silky fur before he looked up at the woman.

"She appreciates the compliment, but thinks that comparing her to me is somewhat less flattering..."

He smiled a little bit, wryly, and looked over at the beast, who licked his cheek a little, playfully, before getting up and walking over to Raven. She looked into her eyes for a moment, and then licked her hand. Arminas laughed, and shrugged.

"That's a first. Two in one day. You can touch her if you like, she doesn't seem to mind you either. Just make sure you're gentle enough. She's like most women - not especially forgiving."

He chuckled a little bit more, as Kierra followed Raven over to sniff at some of the equipment, rather curious, so many new things in the forest today. Arminas had to agree, but he wasn't worrying himself with that. He pulled his bag of arrows from his waist and looked at it, then he looked up towards the sky, and a hawk flew down, dropping several arrows into his hand. It landed on his shoulder then, and he stroked the bird's plumage slightly.

"Thanks, I don't want to have to leave for these... keep an eye on Kor?"

The bird nipped lightly at his finger, then flew away, and Armi put the arrows into his bag. He would have to ask the trees for more later. His attention, then was drawn to Rose, and the torture of the prisoner. Now, scaring him was nothing... that was something you did. If you needed information, fear was sometimes the best way to get it What bothered him though, was how she seemed to enjoy the pain of the man... how she dragged it out, made him fear for his very life, let him bleed and didn't care about the blood on her hands... he looked away, and Kierra looked up for a moment, then went back to the weapons. She knew as well as he did... the one that had taken care of him as a baby, the innocent dryad... how the men had tortured her... Arminas took his bow of his back and made a show of checking the string carefully, making sure he never looked at the scene...

Logged

"Now I did a job, and got nothin' but trouble since I did it, not to mention more than a few unkind words as regard to my character, so let me make this abundantly clear: I do the job, and then I get paid."

"... but if your hand touches metal, I swear by my pretty floral bonnet I will end you"

"I'll go patrol around, the noises this guy is making may attract unwanted attention." Andimia scooped up her bag and walked away, circling around the position of the others. Now and then she heard muffled screams bounce off the trees nearby and her thoughts drifted to more terrible memories.

She was already missing two toenails on her left foot and one on the right, her feet bled profusely, her body drenched with sweat. She was pale, and her lips were dry and cracked. They hadn't fed her or given her water for who knows how long, she hadn't even been allowed to sleep. They first came in with pots and pans banging, then they'd flip her off the threadbare blanket that served as her bed, and finally it escalated to beatings the moment her eyes closed. Had it been two days? maybe more? She spat blood onto the ground next to the chair she was well tied to, welts had morphed her face into a black and purple mass. She should have gone with her better judgement and not accepted this job...

One man circled around her with a pair of bloody pliers in his hand, the other sat upon a nearby table next to their large set of tools. They kept asking so many questions, and Andi was now seeing things move out of the corner of her eye. The man with the pliers grabbed her by her face."What is the name of the man you work for, and where can we find him?" he spat the question at her, annoyed that he was still repeating it. Andi's head swam, she had to choose between the man she loved or the lives of her and her unborn child. She had only known for two weeks, but her captors seemed to know too for they only hit her in the face and head, never in the abdomen, but everything hurt the same. her head lolled from side to side."T-ti- The Lor-d Lord Res-sor." she managed and cracked a smile, "I work... for the- king." She grinned and started laughing like she had just heard the best joke in the world. "H-He pays lousy t-to." she managed as she laughed harder. The man with the pliers was furious and grabbed her by the throat but she continued laughing in her delirium between chokes and coughs. She was hoping to pass out but that would be a luxury. He released his grasp and barked to the guards. "Throw her in her cell and make sure she sleeps for three hours! I want her competent for the next part." He grinned a stomach churning grin. It accentuated his sharp features and old skin as the guards came to drag her back to her cell.

Raven smiled at Kierra and gently rubbed behind the beasts ear. The man who was being tortured was bleeding on the floor his screams echoing around the clearing. Raven looked quickly over and then back to the weapons. Raven knew she could be mean sometimes and enjoy the thought of torturing someone so bad that there screams turn to gargled coughs but she could never enjoy torturing someone as much as Rose was right now. Rose's face seemed content almost excited as her foot slid to the man's mouth again to muffle his screams. Raven continued to stroke Kierra softly down the back. the fur slid underneath her fingers. Raven looked at Kierra and smiled softly. Raven allowed her glance to fall upon the man sobbing uncontrollably on the floor. She shook her head slightly and continued to test out swords, bows, axes and more.

The mans tears flowed down his cheeks mixing in with the blood she had whipped onto his face not to long ago. But she did not mind. It would all be over soon. “Then there was that women’s memory they …they have it in a ball like thing. I ..I don’t know what that was I promises! Oh please!” She jerked out the dagger from his hand as she allowed the tip of it running down his eye. His own blood panting upon his face but it seamed as if she was uncaring about it. Cold as ice. “What about my sister… what do you know about her?” The mans lower lip trembled as he seamed afraid to talk as the dagger flowed around his face. “ They…they had a bad fight in keeping her into a a box of some kind for she kipped on flooding the place.” She nodded as she removed the dagger from the mans face. No longer was his face colorless for he was covered in his own blood. There was not a spot she missed as she started to let the dagger flow upon her finger tips. The dagger was different from all of her other one’s. An it was indeed her own. She had her own resons for not using it when they had ran away from Hangers Tavern. The hilt of this dagger had a dragon head made out of iron it would seam when you first looked at it. “ There was another women trapped in the same kind of box for they both had tried to run for it together. They almost made it out a time or two. An that’s all that I know!” She looked into the mans eyes and could tell that he was not lying as he was before. With a light nod she pulled off the top of the dragon’s head off of her dagger. There seamed to be a small brush at the end of it dripping with a water like substance.

Rosy Rosy! Come here Look at what me and Lilla made! Ama grabbed her hand pulling her deep into the woods where her other little sister was standing all flushed and proud. She should have known that her sisters where up to no good. They only get that look in there eyes when every they where. In fact she believed that they all inherited that from there father for only Lilla and Ama had the bright honey brown eyes. “Come on show me what you two troubles have made.” Ama jumped up and down as she giggles. “Rosy this will help you on your travels and you won’t forget about us!” A small amount of sadness entered her eyes as it seamed Ama always thought that she was going to forget her. The only thing she could do was call out playfully “Not another healing potion guys I hardly survived the last one.” Lilla shock her head letting her golden hair spill around her shoulders. “ No we made you this” she held it out shyly and there was a new dagger. Lightly as she flipped it around her finger tips as it was perfectly balanced and well made as well.” Open the top Rosy!” She rased an eye brow as Ama took it from her and opened the head of the dragon. “ You can stab people but it will not really hurt them it will only be in there mind see.” She then stabbed Lilla in the arm as the blood rolled down her arm Lilla screamed. She could remembered blacking out. “ Rosy are you ok? Rosy no fainting till I’m dun! Look!” Opening her eyes she could see Ama panting Lilla with the head of the dragon and she was fine. “ It was all an allusion! See what we did Rosy! Are you not proud!”

She smirked as she remembered grounding the girls for two weeks for scaring her. But they in turn would never let her forget she fainted. On she panted the mans ear and hand as the wounds disappeared. As if they where never there at all. “ You guys do what you wish to him… there’s nothing more he knows.” On the man sobbed " What did you do to me!" She shacks her head as she runs her nails into her hair the blood was now gone even from his face and her hands. " Nothing...truly nothing at all" with that she replaced the dragon's head on top of the dagger and hidden it away on the back of her boot. Saying not a passing word to the others she started walking to the lake to clean herself up.

Gods, the screams... Just like Ben made when the rats came, NO. I can't think about that now, now I have a job. No wallowing in self pity. But gods she's cold, like Ye-Reesh (old shaman of tribe), uncaring.

Jud listens to the screams, and the lies. Eventually he listens to the truth too, but it is far too long in coming. "Why are you so scared of your masters, barkeep? How widespread are they?" Jud pauses for a second and stares off into space, "What are they?"

Back in Jud's head. Torture, she was so calm with it. Does she think that beause it didn't leave a mark there wasn't any torture, that he won't carry the scars with him. Does she think that terror is something you forget, that goes away just cause it didn't hurt you? No, bad Jud. No self pity. Get the goddammed job done, then, if you're still alive, you can spend a week in the first tavern you find. Not here, not now.

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For the love of meat, shut up! No one wants to hear your emo character background! My hands are literally melting away, and I'm complaining less than you!—K'seliss, Goblins

Somewhere, in the memories she had, there was a gap. It wasn't the same sort of gap that had wiped out her memory, for the memories weren't gone. But it was as if they swirled around in a chaotic storm, too jumbled to piece together. And she instinctively knew she should never try, for in that storm of memories lay death, and madness, and worse. Bits caught her attention. A girl who looked a little like her, but it couldn't be her, could it? Blades and blood and scarlet feathers. A noise that couldn't be described, that hurt to even think about. And screaming that went on much longer than it had any right to. Oh god, the screaming that would never, ever stop...

Nai looked dispassionately down at the trembling innkeeper. "Jeesh. You utter pansy. All she did was cut a little bit. If you think that was bad, I envy the soft life you must have had." She stood over him, expressionless. "There is so much worse that a body can endure. You'd be surprised what you can live through."

Somewhere in her, a door closed, shutting out the maelstrom.

She bent down and hauled the little man to his feet, a bright, sunny expression on her face once more. She held him up by his shirt. "Now, I believe I have to have a discussion with you about your taste in alcohol," she said pleasantly.